One big family party: Big Time Party Band adds Musical Chairs to its long list of local gigs

Big Time Party Band performs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday on East Elm Street in downtown Graham as part of the First Fridays portion of the Musical Chairs countywide concert series. Admission is free, though donations of art supplies for Alamance Arts are appreciated.

Photo submitted

By Charity Apple / Times-News

Published: Thursday, September 4, 2014 at 03:10 AM.

GRAHAM — Johnny Porter Wilson is the only remaining original member of the Big Time Party Band, but he thankfully has handed the reins to his son and daughter, John Lawrence Wilson and Tiffany Hancock.
The eight-piece band performs 70 shows a year (sometimes two a day) and among those shows, 25 to 28 are weddings. At age 64, Johnny Wilson oftentimes runs sound and does off-stage work while his children take center stage. He will join them on stage for a song or two on occasion.
Expect to hear both originals and covers when the band performs at the First Fridays portion of the Musical Chairs countywide concert series from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at 104 E. Elm St. Besides Johnny and his grown children, the band features Barry Briggs on guitar, Craig Cottrell on saxophone, Bill Hancock (Tiffany’s husband) on keyboards, Craig Saunders on bass and Mike Harriss on drums. Cottrell, an Elvis tribute artist, usually devotes a portion of the Big Time Party Band shows to Elvis songs.
“Elvis will come to Graham in his 11-minute medley,” Johnny Wilson said.
Its debut CD, “Footprints in the Sand” was released in 2009. Tiffany and John, like their dad before them, write original songs for the group.
“John wrote ‘Cherry Groove’ on the way back from Cherry Grove … he mouthed the words Cherry Grove, Cherry Groove,” Johnny said. John was nominated for the Carolina Beach Music Awards’ Songwriter of the Year for “Cherry Groove” in 2012.
“My daughter writes totally differently from my son. She draws on past experiences such as observing people in bars throughout the years in ‘Drink Up.’ She doesn’t even drink,” he said. And in “Do Ya Like?” Tiffany is inspired by her days as a DJ. “I used to DJ and allowed her to do it at 16 years old. The song came from the conversations overheard in the DJ booth.”
Following the death of a former girlfriend, Johnny wrote “I Love Them All” as an ode to all of his girlfriends from first grade to his current wife.
“I didn’t change any names to protect the innocent, either,” he said with a laugh.
Briggs created Carolina Sound Music in 2012 to handle the band’s recording and writing projects. Its latest CD is set for release this fall. The band also is featured on five compilation CDs.
The Big Time Party Band has performed a number of shows in and around the Piedmont-Triad and Johnny said he’s excited about the opportunity to bring the group’s high-energy show to Graham on Friday.

Admission is free, but donations of children’s art supplies are appreciated for art classes at Alamance Arts (formerly the Alamance County Arts Council). In case of rain, the concert is canceled. For more details, call (336) 226-4495 or visit artsalamance.com

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GRAHAM — Johnny Porter Wilson is the only remaining original member of the Big Time Party Band, but he thankfully has handed the reins to his son and daughter, John Lawrence Wilson and Tiffany Hancock.
The eight-piece band performs 70 shows a year (sometimes two a day) and among those shows, 25 to 28 are weddings. At age 64, Johnny Wilson oftentimes runs sound and does off-stage work while his children take center stage. He will join them on stage for a song or two on occasion.
Expect to hear both originals and covers when the band performs at the First Fridays portion of the Musical Chairs countywide concert series from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at 104 E. Elm St. Besides Johnny and his grown children, the band features Barry Briggs on guitar, Craig Cottrell on saxophone, Bill Hancock (Tiffany’s husband) on keyboards, Craig Saunders on bass and Mike Harriss on drums. Cottrell, an Elvis tribute artist, usually devotes a portion of the Big Time Party Band shows to Elvis songs.
“Elvis will come to Graham in his 11-minute medley,” Johnny Wilson said.
Its debut CD, “Footprints in the Sand” was released in 2009. Tiffany and John, like their dad before them, write original songs for the group.
“John wrote ‘Cherry Groove’ on the way back from Cherry Grove … he mouthed the words Cherry Grove, Cherry Groove,” Johnny said. John was nominated for the Carolina Beach Music Awards’ Songwriter of the Year for “Cherry Groove” in 2012.
“My daughter writes totally differently from my son. She draws on past experiences such as observing people in bars throughout the years in ‘Drink Up.’ She doesn’t even drink,” he said. And in “Do Ya Like?” Tiffany is inspired by her days as a DJ. “I used to DJ and allowed her to do it at 16 years old. The song came from the conversations overheard in the DJ booth.”
Following the death of a former girlfriend, Johnny wrote “I Love Them All” as an ode to all of his girlfriends from first grade to his current wife.
“I didn’t change any names to protect the innocent, either,” he said with a laugh.
Briggs created Carolina Sound Music in 2012 to handle the band’s recording and writing projects. Its latest CD is set for release this fall. The band also is featured on five compilation CDs.
The Big Time Party Band has performed a number of shows in and around the Piedmont-Triad and Johnny said he’s excited about the opportunity to bring the group’s high-energy show to Graham on Friday.

Admission is free, but donations of children’s art supplies are appreciated for art classes at Alamance Arts (formerly the Alamance County Arts Council). In case of rain, the concert is canceled. For more details, call (336) 226-4495 or visit artsalamance.com